New England Patriots Can't Let LeGarrette Blount Walk

By Gian D'Ambra

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The latest news in Foxborough pertaining to free agency is that LeGarrette Blount is visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, Mar. 24. It is in the best interest of the New England Patriots to make sure Pittsburgh is the last place he visits before calling New England his home for at least another year. The Patriots can’t afford to let another key piece of last year’s team walk and sign with another team, especially one in the same conference.

Blount didn’t get many carries early on in the year last season. He was behind Stevan Ridley while Shane Vereen was the predominantly used third-down-back. Once Vereen got hurt and Ridley started fumbling, we all got to sit in amazement and watch what Blount could do when given the opportunity. He fit great in this offense, seeing as he had 25 less carries than Ridley on the year while gaining only one less rushing yard.

What he did in the playoffs was nothing less than spectacular as well. His four touchdown performance against the Indianapolis Colts was what made me know he needed to stay on this team, no matter the outcome of the rest of the playoffs. I knew he had potential since he was a 1,000 yard rusher with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Colts game set him apart from the other backs on the team.

The Steelers are looking for another back to compliment Le’Veon Bell, who helped regain the relevance of Pittsburgh’s running game as a rookie last season. Letting Blount sign with a hated rival like the Steelers not only gives them the upper hand in their running game, but brings them one step closer to being able to beat the Patriots in the playoffs. If another ring is coming in the Tom Brady era, especially next season, Blount must stay, end of story!